Israelites (song)

"Israelites"
Single by Desmond Dekker & the Aces
from the album The Israelites
B-side	"My Precious World (The Man)" by Beverley's All Stars
Released	October 1968 (1968-10)[1]^[deprecated source]
Recorded	1968
Genre	Ska, reggae
Length	2:47
Label	Pyramid Records - PYR 6058 (UK) Uni Records 55129 (USA)
Songwriter(s)	Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong
Producer(s)	Leslie Kong
Desmond Dekker & the Aces singles chronology
"007 (Shanty Town)" (1967) "Israelites" (1968) "It Miek" (1969)

"Israelites" is a song written by Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong for their group, Desmond Dekker & the Aces,^[2] which reached the top of the charts in numerous countries in 1969. Sung in Jamaican Patois, some of the song's lyrics were not readily understood by many British and American listeners at the time of its release.^[3] Despite this, the single was the first UK reggae #1 and among the first to reach the US top ten (peaking at #9).^[4] It combined the Rastafarian religion with rude boy concerns,^[5] to make what has been described by Allmusic as a "timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries".^[6]

Song

Origin and lyrics

Originally issued in Jamaica as "Poor Me Israelites",^[7] it remains the best known Jamaican reggae hit to reach the United States Hot 100's top 10,^[5] and was written almost two years after Dekker first made his mark with the rude boy song "007 (Shanty Town)".^[2] Dekker composed the song after overhearing an argument: "I was walking in the park, eating popcorn. I heard a couple arguing about money. She was saying she needs money and he was saying the work he was doing was not giving him enough. I related to those things and began to sing a little song: 'You get up in the morning and you're slaving for bread.' By the time I got home, it was complete."^[8] The title has been the source of speculation,^[9] but most settle on the Rastafarian Movement's association with the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In the 1960s, Jamaican Rastafarians were largely marginalized as "cultish" and ostracized from the larger society, including by the more conservative Christian church in Kingston. Destitute ("slaving for bread") and unkempt ("Shirt dem a-tear up, trousers a-gone"), some Rastafarians were tempted to a life of crime ("I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde"). The song is a lament of this condition.

Musical structure

The vocal melody is syncopated and centred on the tone of B flat. The chords of the guitar accompaniment are played on the offbeat and move through the tonic chord [B flat], the subdominant [E flat], the dominant [F], and the occasional [D flat],^[5] viz, [B flat] - [E flat] - [F] - [B flat] - [D flat]. It was one of the first reggae songs to become an international hit, despite Dekker's strong Jamaican accent which made his lyrics difficult for many listeners to understand outside of Jamaica.^[10]

Impact

Despite "Israelites" being recorded and released in 1968, the Uni 45 discography shows its copyright as 1969.^[11] In June 1969, the record reached the Top Ten in the United States, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. "Israelites" hit #1 in the United Kingdom,^[12] the Netherlands, Jamaica and West Germany.

"Israelites" brought a Jamaican beat to the British top 40 for the first time since Dekker's #14 hit "007 (Shanty Town)" in 1967.^[2]

The disc was released in the UK in March 1969 and was #1 for one week, selling over 250,000 copies.^[13] A global million sales was reported in June 1969.^[13]

Follow-up and reissues

Dekker had two more UK Top 10 hits over the next year, "It Miek" and his cover of Jimmy Cliff's song "You Can Get It If You Really Want".^[2][12]

Dekker recorded on the Pyramid record label, and when its catalogue was acquired by Cactus Records in 1975, "Israelites" was re-issued in a first-time stereo mix.^[2] Just over six years after the original release, the song again reached a Top Ten position in the United Kingdom.^[2]

In 1980, Dekker released a new recording of the song on UK label Stiff Records, performed in an uptempo Two Tone style. It was taken from an album of similar re-recordings of his old hits, Black & Dekker.

Appearance in other media

The song has appeared in numerous movies and television programs,^[14] including the soundtracks of the 1989 American film Drugstore Cowboy and the 2010 British film Made in Dagenham.

On November 3, 2019, "Israelites" was prominently featured in the third episode of HBO's Watchmen. Potentially because of this usage, the song charted again, entering the Billboard Digital Reggae Song Sales Chart at #2.^[15]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1969)	Peak position
Australia (Go-Set)[16]	3
Australia (Kent Music Report)[17]	5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[18]	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[19]	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[20]	8
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[21]	9
Ireland (IRMA)[22]	7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23]	1
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[24]	12
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[25]	2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26]	6
UK Singles (OCC)[27]	1
US Billboard Hot 100[28]	9
US Cash Box Top 100[29]	8
West Germany (GfK)[30]	1

Chart (1975)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)[27]	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1969)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[31]	60
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[32]	21

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[33]	Silver	200,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• UK No.1 Hits of 1969
• List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)
• Number-one hits of 1969 (Germany)
• List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States
• Dutch Top 40 number-one hits of 1969

References

1. "Israelites / The Man - Desmond Dekker & The Aces". rateyourmusic. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
2. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 126. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
3. Katz, David (27 May 2006). "Desmond Dekker". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
4. Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 40. ISBN 0-85156-156-X.
5. Mark Phillips (2002), GCSE Music, Heinemann, ISBN 9780435813185, retrieved 2014-03-27
6. "Biography by Jo-Anne Green". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
7. "Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Beverley's All Stars - Poor Me Israelites / Fly Right". Discogs. June 2022.
8. "Desmond Dekker". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
9. "Song Meanings". 30 April 2008.
10. Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 359. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
11. "45 Discography for UNI Records". Retrieved 2014-05-05.
12. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 149. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
13. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 258. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
14. "Desmond Dekker - IMDb". IMDb.
15. Jackson, Kevin (2019) "Israelites hits Billboard, again", Jamaica Observer, 13 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019
16. "Go-Set Australian charts - 5 July 1969". www.poparchives.com.au.
17. "Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1969". www.top100singles.net.
18. "Desmond Dekker and the Aces – Israelites" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
19. "Desmond Dekker and the Aces – Israelites" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
20. "Desmond Dekker and the Aces – Israelites" (in French). Ultratop 50.
21. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5928." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
22. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Israelites". Irish Singles Chart.
23. "Desmond Dekker and the Aces – Israelites" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
24. "SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Acts D". South Africa Rock Lists. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
25. "Låtarna från Kvällstoppen 3 juni 1969". NostalgiListan.
26. "Desmond Dekker and the Aces – Israelites". Swiss Singles Chart.
27. "Desmond Dekker & the Aces: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
28. "Desmond Dekker The Aces Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
29. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles July 5, 1969". www.cashboxmagazine,com.
30. "Offiziellecharts.de – Desmond Dekker and the Aces – Israelites" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Desmond Dekker and the Aces"
31. "AMR Top Singles of 1969". www.top100singles.net.
32. "Jaaroverzichten 1969". Ultratop. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
33. "British single certifications – Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 January 2023.

Bibliography

• Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X